Things To Do
Breakfast & Bakeries
Rise + Roam: Our favorite bakery Stationæry: Local sit down brunch favorite (also serves lunch, dinner, & beer & wine) Mad Dogs & Englishmen: Dog-friendly (well, everything in Carmel is dog-friendly) coffee shop and bike shop, great hang out space Katy's Place: Sit down breakfast Carmel Belle: Great casual breakfast food and coffee - eat in or grab 'n go
Restaurants
La Bicyclette (lunch & dinner): Cozy French favorite Casanova (dinner): Cozy Italian Damatra Cafe (dinner): Lively Greek & Mediterranean spot Seventh & Dolores (dinner): Upscale steakhouse Brophy’s Tavern (drinks & dinner): Pub Bud's at La Playa (drinks & dinner): Old school bar at the wedding venue
Town Favorites
Farmers' Market: Thursdays at 6th & Mission in town (walk) Carmel Beach: Dog-friendly beach at the base of town (walk) Carmel Meadows Trail: Light walk along the water close to town; park near an old school house near the southern most start (drive) 17 Mile Drive: Scenic drive down 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula to see Pebble Beach (get out at the Lone Cypress tree!)
Big Sur
We love taking a day or half-day to drive down Highway One through Big Sur! Here are our favorite hikes and restaurants, in order of appearance from Carmel: Point Lobos: A stunning State Park with hikes along the water. Soberanes Canyon Trail: West side of Highway One is a beautiful lighter walk; East side is a longer hilly loop hike with incredible views. Bixby Bridge: The famous Big Sur bridge outlook. Andrew Molera State Park: Relatively flat there-and-back hike along the water. Big Sur Inn & Restaurant: Casual food, live music, and Adirondack chairs in the river. Ventana: Upscale hotel where you can sit on the patio overlooking the coast for drinks & light bites or full dinner. Nepenthe: Casual lunch & dinner restaurant with one of the best views in Big Sur - FAVORITE! Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park: Many hikes within.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
We (Emily) grew up loving outings to the aquarium - it's a particularly special one.